Gas heater



April 28, 1925;

A. J. HARTFIELD GAS HEATER Filed July 1920 II." lrll/ I llll I 74 Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES AUGUST J. HART'FIELD, 0 LOS ANGELES', CALIFORNIA.

GAS HEATER.

Application filed July 28, 1920. Serial No. 399,537.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUeUs'r J. HARTFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing in Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gas Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class heaters generally known asgas heaters and generally used for domestic and similar heating purposes; and it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple inexpensive heater which will radiate a maximum amount of heat from the gas fuel. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple heater which may be quickly and easily manufactured and assembled, and it is an object to provide in. a. heater of the general type here described, a means for facilitating quick and easy startmg of the circulation of air and heated products of combustion, so that the heater may quickly be gotten into full operation.

The invention will be best understood from the following description and accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical, central, longitudinal section of a preferred form of heater provided by the present invention; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken as indicated by line [-2 of Fig. 1.; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken as indicated by line on Fig. 1; Fig. 4: is an enlarged longi* tudinal detail sectional view taken as indicated by line i slcon Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a ver tical horizontal sectional View taken as indicated by line 5-5 on Fig. 2 and Fi 6 is a partial sectional view showing the heater door in its open position.

'lhroughout the drawings the numeral 10 designates a central combustion chamber in which the burner is located, and on each side of this central combustion chamber is a plurality of radiating tubes or elements 1.1 through which heated gases pass and from which the heatis radiated. These radiating elements 11 may be made of any suitable material and made in any suitable configurae tion. It may be here stated that any number of elements 11 may be used and that the method of assembling here shown is merely typical and that the invention is not in any way limited to the number of elements or manner of construction.

It is preferred that the elements 11 be made of sheet metal and be held together by forming flanges, which are criniped over a part of the next adjacent element 11. These elements are provided with suitable communicating openings 12 formed in their upper and lower portions. The outer radiating elements 11 have openings on one side only. The radiator elements 11 are formed with vertical passages 13 through which the heated gases circulate. These elements are all held together and secured to the central combustion chamber 10.

The central combustion chamber 10 is provided with side walls 14, preferably of sheet metal, and with front and back walls 15 of similar material in a single piece which passes upward, then over the top and then downwardly. The walls 15 are secured to side walls 14: by crimping. The side walls 14 have openings similar to the opening 12 of the radiator element 11, and in this manner provide communication with the radiator elements 11.

lVithin the central combustion chamber 10 is arranged a burner 16 which is supplied 'with gas fuel through pipe 17 which is arranged longitudinally in the lower portion of the heater. It is preferred that the pipe 17 be so arranged that it will pass through the lower openings 12 formed in all the radiator elements and the central combustion chamber, as will be clearly seen in Fig. 1 in the drawings. In front of the burner, that is in the front wall 15, there may be a door 18 which may be opened for igniting the gas in the burner.

The burner 16 is preferably made of cast iron, or the like, and is provided with a vertical opening 19, which is arranged to re ceive a suitable cup 20 in which the gas is delivered for burning. The cup 20 is preferably made of cast iron, and is so arranged as to fit loosely within the opening 19 formed in the burner 16. The cup 20 may be provided with projections 2O which as sist in holding the cup 20 in the desired po sition. The cup 20 is supported within the opening 19 by pipe 17, which is in two sections, one section entering the cup 20 on one side and the other section entering the opposite side. The ends of the sections of the pipe 17 are left open and are screw-threadedly engaged to cup 20 so the gas may escape into the cup. The opening 19 is arranged vertically in the burner casting $21,

and extends through the entire casting of the burner 16. This feature provides a tree vertical passage for the air, from the bottom upward and around the cup 20, and then into the central combustion chamber 10. The burner casting 21 is preterably provided at its sides with outwaro extending portions 22, which. enclose passageways 28 and are arranged to tit within the lower opening 12 formed in the central combustion chamber 10, and the radiator elements 11. To the rear, is an extension 21 of the casting enclosing a discharge outlet 21 communicating with discharg l'lue iii. The eze haust gases reach outlet; 21 by passing through passages 30 from passage It is pre terred that the wall 15 he provided with a suitable opening 15 to allow the exhaust extension El to pass through and extend outwardly a sul'iicicnt distance to allow the line pipe or the like 21" to he slipped over the extension. The burner casting 16 is s pported in place in the structure by its e2;- tensions extending through openings 12, by extension 2t extending through opening 15*, and also by a supporting lug 16 which may be screw or bolt connected to the front wall 15.

A suitable tunnel shaped hood 23 arranged within the central combustion chain-- her, somewhat above the burner 16, and is secured to the side walls 11'- and also to the front and back wall 15 oi the central com bustion chamber. It will be readily seen that the products of combustion which arise from the burner 16 will pass upwardly in a somewhat large volume and upon striking the hood 23 will he more or less concentrated and will then be injected upwardly into the upper part oil? the combustion chamber. From here they pass in either direction through the openings 12 into the radiator elements. litter the gases have entered the radiator elements ll they become somewhat chilled and pass downwardly to the lower openings l2. 'lhey here pass toward the center ot the heater. The gases here pass through outlet 21' and into the stack.

In the normal operation of the heater, after having been once started, the gases burn upwardly from the cup 20 and burner casting 16, up through hood 23 and into the upper part of the combustion chamber 10. Air for this combustion comes from the mixer at 17 on pipe 17 (the miver and gas :teed at 17" may he put on either section o't pipe 17) and comes also upwardly through the passage 15) which takes air thrmigh air inlet 25. Under normal operating conditions air for tinishing combustion may be drawn in above hood QElat the open" ings 2t; but whether air is drawn in here or gases slightly pushed out here and the amount at such in flow or out How, depend upon operating conditions. These openings serve generally as equalizer openings between the exterior atmosphere and chan'iher but in ordinary lull o xn'ation it is prelcrred that a small amount oi. air be con stantly drawn in.

hen the heater is being warmed up on starting the hood 23 plays an important part in directing the upwardly rising heated gases of combustion into the central part of the combustion chamber. The chamber 10 is at that time tilled with cold air; and if the gases of combustion rising from below has to bodily push that cold air up through the chamber 10 and also push the whole column of air down around the radiator elements (through a sort of inverted trap), the action is very slow. But when the hot gases are injected into the center of the body 01 air in chamber 10, that body of air is largely displaced through openings 24 and the hot gas flow freely upwardly to the top of the radiator. Having once reached the top and spread out and begun to cool they then drop down through the radiator elements. Thus the heater is easily and quickly started; there is none of that sluggish starting action so common to ordinary heaters. T he cold air above hood does not pass below that hood and the large volume of air in the chamber is thus prevented from moving down on and interfering with the flame at the burner below.

The openings at 26 below the hood :23 also perform the function oi allowing escape of cold air on starting; but their normal pur pose is to admit air for completion of combustion in that part of the flame directly over the burner.

It ma be here stated that this gas radiator may be made of cast iron in one or more units, or it may be made of sheet metal and secured together in any suitable "form, and is not in any way hunted to the usage shown in the dra wings and described in the specification, but is merely shown as a typical illustration of a. possible method o't manufacture, and one which proved to be ot' great commercial value. lnasn'iuch as the parts used in this radiator are practically all made of sheet metal and may be stamped in the necessary configuration and cut in any convenient size, and then crimped in one operation and held securely together, my design provides a simple and easily constructed heater. The heater provided by the present invention is not only simple in regard to manufacture, but is extremely simple in operation, in that there are no dampers or automatic control valves, or the like.

The door shown at 18 is a simple and con venient kind for this purpose. It has hooks 18" at its lower edge which hook over and behind a roll on front wall 15, in such a manner that the door may be thrown out lilt) to the position shown in Fig. 6; or it may be readily liitted clear out of the door open ing if desired.

Having described a specific form of embodiment of the present invention I do not wish to limit myself to the details contained herewith, but wish to reserve to myself any modifications, variations or changes that may appear to those skilled in the art or fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described a preferred form of my invention, I claim:

1. A heater of the character described embodying an upright combustion chamber and a side radiator element communicating therewith at its top; characterized by a combined burner and passage member located at said lower end communication and embodying a.

body having therein a burner chamber a vertical air passage extending around the burner chamber, and a lateral passage that connects with the lower end of the radiator element and with an exhaust flue.

2. A heater of the character described embodying an upright combustion chamber and a side radiator element communicating therewith at its top; characterized by a co1nbined burner and passage member located at said lower end communication and embodying a body having therein a burner chamber, a vertical air passage extending around the burner chamber, and a lateral passage that connects with the lower end of the radiator element and with an exhaust flue; said burner chamber and said passages in the body forming an integral cast construction.

3. A heater of the character described embodying an upright combustion chamber and a side radiator element communicating therewith at its top; characterized by a combined burner and passage member located at said lower end communication and embodying a body having integrally therein a burner chamber, a vertical air passage ex tending around the burner chamber and a passage having a leg that connects with the lower end of the radiator element at one side of the body and extends around to the back of the body and there connects with an exhaust flue, the outer wall of the air passage being also a wall of said last named passage.

4. A heater of the character described embodying an upright combustion chamber and a side radiator communicating therewith at its top; characterized by a combined burner and passage member located at said lower end communication and embodying a body having integrally therein a burner chamber, a vertical air passage extending around the burner chamber and a passage having a leg that connects with the lower end of the radiator element at one side of the body and extends around to the back of the body and there connects with an exhaust flue, the outer wall of the air passage being also a wall of said last named passage; there being an opening in said air passage wall, and a gas supply pipe for the burner extending through the said leg of said last mentioned passage and through said opening to the burner.

I11 witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of July 1920.

AUGUST J. HARTFIELD. 

